Veterans

Mental Health Counseling

Candidates will study human growth and development from birth through death. The course focuses on the physical, cognitive, social, personality, and emotional development as a series of progressive changes resulting from the interactions of biological, psychological and sociological forces within the environment. Special emphasis is placed upon the development characteristics of school aged youth within a multicultural and diverse society. The course also and takes an in depth look at theory, research and applications in the areas of learner development. Included in this course will be five hours of practicum experience and direct involvement with practicing counselors in a school site or community based organization.

This course includes systematic examination of the historical and theoretical accounts normal and abnormal personality syndromes, including research, and explores the factors underlying personality development and adjustment.

Mental disorders are discussed and symptoms associated with specific mental illnesses are identified. Particular attention is given to etiologies, dynamics, and characteristics of abnormal behavior, and of the common treatment modalities of deviant behavior. Introduces the DSM IV multiaxial system for the practice of diagnosis in the assessment and treatment of mental disorders.

Candidates will examine the philosophical and theoretical foundations of counseling theory and practice, as well as how these are applied to prevention, development, empowerment, and change of individuals. In this course, candidates will explore the process, development, and acquisition of basic counseling knowledge and skills appropriate in the delivery of human services through the helping of relationships. Counseling approaches are examined within the respective fields of school and mental health with an emphasis on multicultural issues, future trends, and the integration and application of counseling theories. Counseling practices related to specific theoretical orientations will be presented and discussed.

This is an introductory course to a newly emerging area in psychology building on concepts from environmental, clinical, and social psychology, as well as sociology and anthropology. The course will cover the origins of community psychology, surveying its distinctive and substantive concepts. We will study the psychological concept of community focusing on the institutions and resources that facilitate or inhibit healthy psychological functioning. Such major topics as community mental health, the educational system, and the criminal justice system will be discussed.

This course will expose students to the logic and process of assessment of individual and interpersonal dynamics, including such standard techniques as interview procedures, systematic observation, psychological testing, and case studies. Interaction of assessment data and theory will be considered.

This course will focus on the prevention and education of drug and alcohol abuse regarding adolescents, young adults and adults. The course will address primary, secondary and tertiary prevention approaches for individuals, communities and school districts. Candidate learning will focus on both risk and protective factors regarding the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. Concepts such as adolescent drug culture, parent drug culture, patterns and trends and current research based statistics will be discussed. Principles of effectiveness regarding the development of drug and alcohol prevention and education programs will be taught. The assessment and treatment of families will be highlighted.

A survey, study, and evaluation of the various methods and techniques of small group interaction. Emphasis will be placed on the application of group dynamics to such practical activities as psychotherapy, vocational adjustment, cooperative community action, business and industrial brain storming, and the alleviation of such problems as criminal recidivism, alcoholism and drug addiction, and social alienation.

Theory, application, and research findings related to both counseling and therapy will be examined, as well as specified therapeutic concepts and techniques that have evolved from these theoretical modes (i.e., psychoanalytic, interpersonal, gestalt, behavioral and existential)

Examines the history and development of crisis intervention and short term therapy. Discusses therapeutic objectives, classification and the process of clinical diagnosis. Investigates various techniques and settings in which crisis intervention and short term therapy are practiced. Topics include: suicide and suicide prevention, hotline centers, drop in counseling centers; substance abuse crisis counseling; dealing with family crisis; understanding developmental crises such as bereavement and divorce; the use of the paraprofessional in crisis counseling.

An applied course in group dynamics, counseling, and psychotherapeutic principles and techniques that focus on student participation in various types of group experiences, student understanding of the objectives, rationale, and underlying theory of alternative group models. This course will also review group counseling and therapy issues related to addictive behaviors.

Theories of occupational choice, career development, and social mobility will be reviewed within the context of national, state, or regional economic development. Occupational information will be considered from the point of view of the individual as well as from the standpoint of manpower needs for industrial and economic development. Students also will be exposed to some of the standard tests, procedures and principles of guidance followed in vocational counseling.

The aim of this course is to provide students with an introduction to theories and concepts of marital and family interaction patterns, (normal and pathological), develop skills in identifying the factors contributing to adaptive and maladaptive interaction in couples and families, and provide training in techniques of intervention and modification of maladaptive behavior in these contexts.

Critical review of various social learning theoretical approaches to the modification of diverse psychological phenomena. Particular attention will be given to the learning principles underlying each method along with experimental tests of efficacy and to the types of behavioral changes for which each procedure is best suited. Major topics include desensitization, contingency management, modeling, assertive training and cognitive learning procedures.

Critical study of theory and research related to selected areas such as addiction, geriatrics, correctional rehabilitation and learning deficiencies, with emphasis on developing skills to maximize therapeutic interventions. The basis of the seminar is a study of case histories, with the emphasis being on the development of student therapeutic skills.

This course provides a study of legal, professional, and ethical principles and standards as they relate to the mental health professionals' delivery of services, research, and conduct. This course will also review the ethical standards and dilemmas confronting alcohol and substance abuse counselors.

This is the first of two courses that cover etiological and treatment issues and knowledge regarding substance abuse and addiction. It has two primary content areas. The first is to teach candidates the different models available to understand and treat substance abuse. Candidates will be assisted in integrating these models into a biopsychosocial approach to understanding and treating abuse and addiction. The second major content area is the beginning phase of treatment of individual with substance abuse problems. Primary learning foci will be on assessment and diagnosis of these disorders and on working with the denial that often accompanies these problems. Candidates will also develop knowledge about how to perform motivational interviewing, develop treatment plans, and differentiate among the different treatment modalities.

This is the second of two courses that cover etiological and treatment issues and knowledge regarding substance abuse and addiction. It builds on learning from MHCO 770 and continues the sequential study of the treatment process of abuse and addiction into the middle and termination phases. The major counseling themes in these phases, as well as integrating professional treatment with self help group participation, will be studied. Candidates will learn how to treat substance abusers who have other serious coexisting disorders. Counter transference and other personal/attitudinal issues triggered by working with abusers and addicts will be explored. Other contemporary practice issues in substance abuse treatment will be identified and discussed.

This course will enable students to develop an understanding of how drugs impact the body and influence the individual user's experience with the drug. Familiarization with key concepts relating to pharmacological, biological, psychological, and social factors regarding drug and alcohol use will be a focus of learning. Concepts such as route of administration and drug distribution through the body to organs, tissues, and cells via body fluids, as well as site of action, drug metabolism, drug elimination, tolerance, psychological dependency, physical dependency, cross dependency, cross tolerance, drug combinations, and drug potentiality and the rebound effect regarding the ingestion of drugs and alcohol, will be highlighted throughout the course. Candidates will also learn to identify and drug use, abuse, and addiction.

This course is a survey of the theory of human sexuality and the application of this theory to the understanding of human behavior in a variety of settings, both clinical and social. Topics to be covered include sexual anatomy and physiology, sexual orientation, sexual behaviors, sexual dysfunction, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, sexuality through the life span, and current issues that impact sexuality and society, including gender roles, birth control, abortion, sexual coercion, and the relationship of alcohol and substance abuse to decision making and communication.

As an extension and continuation of MHCO 701, this course will focus on developing an appreciation of a wide variety of therapeutic techniques, particularly as they relate to pathology, theory, research, and developing an applied understanding through the use of case materials and verbatim transcriptions of actual therapeutic encounters.

This course has three major objectives. The first is to develop an awareness of the various research methodologies commonly employed in educational research and in the social sciences. Included in this are types of data collection, data analysis, interpretation, and corresponding generalization of findings. Second, the course is intended to help the student become a better consumer and critic of the research as reported in the literature. Third, the student will become familiar with the research and related literature in their particular specialization and technology. This is an introductory survey course with major emphasis on the types of empirical research methods, procedures, instrumentation, and other forms of data collection, as well as analysis associated with quantitative and qualitative research.

Prerequisite Course(s): Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (EDCO 605 or MHCO 605), Group 2 (EDCO 610 or MHCO 610), Group 3 (EDCO 615 or MHCO 615), Group 4 (EDCO 701 or MHCO 701), and Group 5 (EDCO 760 or MHCO 760)

The field practicum experience provides candidates with direct experience in an agency or similar setting consistent with the candidate's area of specialization. Candidates will work with clients under supervision in both individual and group settings and demonstrate knowledge and application of counseling theories and techniques. This one semester course requires 100 hours of supervised counseling practice, weekly consultations with the field clinical supervisor and participation in a weekly seminar.

Internship is the culminating year-long experience for mental health candidates and requires a total of 900 hours of supervised counseling practice in an agency or similar setting. Each semester, candidates complete 450 hours of direct and indirect counseling experiences consistent with the expectation of the CACREP guidelines, NYS licensure requirements, and the NYIT Internship manual. Under the guidance of the clinical site supervisor, the candidate will apply counseling theory to practice and use appropriate counseling techniques. Candidates are expected to follow ACA ethical guidelines and may be required to secure professional liability insurance. This one semester course requires 450 hours of structured field experience and participation in a weekly seminar.

Internship is the culminating year-long experience for mental health candidates and requires a total of 900 hours of supervised counseling practice in an agency or similar setting. Each semester, candidates complete 450 hours of direct and indirect counseling experiences consistent with the expectation of the CACREP guidelines, NYS licensure requirements, and the NYIT Internship manual. Under the guidance of the clinical site supervisor, the candidate will apply counseling theory to practice and use appropriate counseling techniques. Candidates are expected to follow ACA ethical guidelines and may be required to secure professional liability insurance. This one semester course requires 450 hours of structured field experience and participation in a weekly seminar.

Prerequisite Course(s): Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (EDCO 870 or MHCO 870) and Group 2 (EDCO 890 or MHCO 890)